Iran condemns strike on the oldest research institute in Tehran

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of carrying out a strike on the Pasteur Institute of Iran in Tehran, calling it a "barbaric assault" on one of the country's most important and oldest scientific institutions.

In a post on X, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the institute had been attacked by "American-Israeli aggressors". "The American-Israeli aggressors have attacked the Pasteur Institute of Iran, the oldest and most prestigious research and public health center in Iran and the entire Middle East," Baqaei said.

He said the institute was established in 1920 through cooperation between the Pasteur Institute of Paris and the Iranian government, and described it as a key part of Iran's healthcare and scientific network.

Baqaei called the strike "heartbreaking, cruel, despicable, and utterly outrageous."

"This is not merely another war crime committed as part of an illegal war; it is a barbaric assault on basic human core values," he said.

The spokesperson also shared images on X that he said showed extensive damage to the facility.

There was no immediate response from the United States or Israel to Iran's allegations.